Ashes in the Snow
by MilkMamaReturns
Summary: Merry Christmas! After a confounding case, Booth finally talks to Brennan about his past and Angela comes to a cross-roads in her love-life. Booth and Brennan finally kiss on Christmas Eve!
1. Part I

**Part I**

_There are minor spoilers in this story, but nothing you won't find out on Wednesday November 5th._

---

Icy flakes fell from the sky like little droplets of cotton. They drifted slowly from the sky, settling on the man's nose. The white flakes speckled his cocoa hued skin. The stark contrast was beautiful and interesting. The flakes settled on his thick black curls and long lashes.

A short Scottish Terrier bounded through the white snow carrying a stick to its master between its woolen jowls.

"Good job, Elspet." The man bent over and scratched the dog's ears, melting the snowy bits from his midnight hued ears. "Good job, girl."

He grabbed the stick from her mouth, pulled his arm back and catapulted the stick in the air. Elspet disappeared behind icy brush. After several seconds and the dog had not yet returned, the man began to hike over the tufts, his feet sinking into the snow. "Elspet! Here, girl!" He whistled, beckoning her to return to him.

He turned when he heard low growling and the distinct sound of paws scratching against frozen ground. The dog came into view. She was digging furiously at the ground, growing, barking in a low voice.

After a few more seconds, Elspet retrieved her prize. A stick. She came up to her master, stick in mouth and dropped it obediently with a little woof and a shake of the tail.

The master bent over and picked up the stick. It wasn't a stick. It was pitted and rather heavy. Its texture was very unexpected. He sucked in a deep sharp breath and dropped the stick to the ground. "Oh, Holy Lord..."

--------------

"I've just never seen the relevance of going to Christmas parties. I think it's a waste of my time. I'd rather spend my holidays otherwise," Brennan said. Her hands were crossed and she sat back in her chair, legs crossed.

"Your posture seems defensive, Dr. Brennan," Sweets noted. "May I venture to say that it isn't the get-together that bothers you, but the social situation?"

Brennan looked annoyed, "Why does everyone think that I'm so socially marred? I'm not as bad as I used to be. Ask Booth."

Sweets looked over at Booth who was flipping open and closed his wallet. The badge would flash, then disappear. Flash, then disappear.

"Agent Booth?"

"Huh? What, Sweets?"

"Dr. Brennan just said that she's made strides in her social skills. You know her best. Would you agree?"

Booth snorted.

Brennan quickly looked over at him. "Wh--_Booth!_"

"What, Bones?"

"You just snorted. You think I haven't made strides in my social skills?"

"I didn't say that."

"You did. You didn't need to use words, Booth. You just snorted. Actions speak louder than words."

"I didn't snort."

"You don't think I know what it sounds like when you snort at me by now?" Brennan shifted her positioning, making it quite obvious that she was now annoyed at Booth.

Booth turned toward his partner, "Look, Bones. I'm sorry."

She just looked at him.

"What do you need me to do? Dog-pile on jagged glass?"

"I don't know what dog-pile means, but it doesn't sound half bad," she said cynically.

Booth sighed, "Yes. Yes, Sweets. She's definitely much better now than when we were first partnered."

Brennan looked over at him and studied him momentarily. Was he lying? Exaggerating?

"Are you being honest?" Sweets asked.

"Yeah. Yeah, Sweets. Look, when Bones and I were first partnered, Brennan didn't even leave her lab except to sleep and shower. "

"Not true," Brennan said defensively.

"True, Bones," Booth said.

Brennan sighed. "I got out occasionally."

Booth turned toward Bones. "I think you should go. It'll be fun."

Sweets watched as the two looked at one another. A conversation that could only be heard by the two of them was being said in that silent way of theirs.

"OK. I'll go. But I still don't see the significance of getting drunk with a bunch of scientists who should spend their time more productively. You know I've never liked going to these functions."

"Yeah. But it'll be good for you," Booth smiled slightly.

"Then you'll go with me?"

Sweets looked like his head was going to explode. His eyes were about as big as ping pong balls.

"Huh?" Booth asked, in a tone a half an octave higher than usual.

"Not as a date of course, although, what I need is a date. Or--at least a partner. A friend. _Company_."

"Bones, I--" Booth began, shaking his head.

"It's fine, Booth. You don't need to feel obligated to take me. It's just--" She let the conversation drop as she glanced quickly out the window and watched as the snow fell.

"It's just what, Bones?" Booth asked, reaching his arm behind her and leaning toward her.

"I should be used to being alone, right?"

"Bones..."

"No. I'm not being self-deprecative, Booth. It's just that Hodgins and Cam are going together and Angela is taking Roxy. They'll be--" She looked over at Booth.

"Paired off like square dancers?"

"I don't know what you mean, but I'm guessing that the answer is yes."

Booth struggled inwardly for a second. Brennan was reaching out to him. Using her heart for once, but there was the partnership. A fragile thing that was only becoming more and more fragile with every moment alone with this intriguing and beautiful woman.

Before he could give his final answer, his cell phone began to buzz. He ignored it for a moment.

"Your cell is ringing, Booth," Brennan said flatly.

Sweets sighed audibly. "Agent Booth, do I need to have a rule about leaving the phones with my secretary?"

Booth shot him a dangerous look.

"Never mind," Sweets whispered.

Brennan stood and walked toward the door, opened it and let herself into the hallway.

Booth paused at the door and looked back at Sweets. "Am I wrong?"

Sweets sat up a little straighter, surprised that he would be invited to give personal advice.

"Booth!" Brennan yelled from the hallway.

"We can talk later, Agent Booth."

Booth smiled and let himself out.

* * *

_Welcome to my new story. This one will probably go a little slower, but I usually post 3+ chapters a day, so what's slow to me is probably fast or a normal pace to you..._

_If you're wondering what I usually write, you can see my profile and read my latest story. I usually write case fics with fluff. _


	2. Part II

**Part II**

"One look at the thing, and I called the FBI."

"Human?" Booth asked. He and Brennan were following Park Ranger Durken along a long walking path. The snow crunched beneath their feet.

"I don't know. My motto is if it ain't broke, don't fix it. I'm no doctor, so I called in the FBI."

"What exactly did you find?" Brennan asked. She and Booth were walking shoulder to shoulder. Every three or four steps, their shoulders would bump and Brennan would take a side step to keep from doing it again.

"Beats the Sam Hell outta me," Durken said. "Bone. Could be white tail deer, could be black bear. Could be human."

"I think what Dr. Brennan means, is did you find an arm or what? What're we working with here?" Booth asked.

"Oh. Chunks o'bone. I don't know. I didn't exactly draw myself a picture."

Brennan looked confused. "Why would you draw a picture? Technology has improved to the point where digital cameras can be found on everything from pens to cell phones to--"

"Bones. I think he was just being sarcastic," Booth said.

"Oh."

"And you didn't take any photographs?" Booth asked.

"Like I said. Ain't broke. I'm no fixer."

Brennan and Booth exchanged half-amused glances as they turned off the path and through the snow.

"It's over there," the officer pointed toward a disturbed patch beneath a sycamore.

Brennan walked up to it and squatted. She took out a blue glove and mixed around the ash for several seconds.

"What is it, Bones?"

"That's what it is," the officer said. "Bones."

Brennan looked up and in a released breath, she said, "Bones is a nickname." Then to Booth, "It's buried." She moved aside the frozen soil, releasing a few chunks of bone that the dog had dug up.

"The guy who found these said his dog dug 'em up."

"And where's he?" Booth asked.

"Ranger's station. Said he threw a stick. Next thing he knew he was holding a thigh bone."

"Is this it?" Brennan asked, pointing to the loose bone.

"That's it," Durken nodded.

"That's not a thigh bone," Brennan said.

"Bear?"

"Humerus," Brennan corrected.

Booth leaned into the officer, "Arm bone," he clarified.

The officer nodded.

"Rather, a portion of a humerus. This body was dismembered and burned."

Booth scrunched his nose. "That's nasty."

"And buried in a tin coffee can. The lid looks decayed."

"How long...?" Booth asked.

"It's difficult, considering the condition of the bones, to say accurately right now, but from the condition of the plastic lid... months." She lifted the plastic lid which had shattered being no longer flexible.

Booth squatted as well, the coffee can being between them. He peeped inside. The can was indeed rusted and old. A few larger chunks of bone were visible, the rest was filled with a mixture of soil and ashes.

"There are ashes in the coffee can. That, plus the burn marks on the bones, leads me to believe that this body--"

"Was mutilated," Booth finished, suddenly feeling awful about talking about Christmas parties and about admiring his partner's body just minutes before. Those things were for the living. They were actions full of life. And here was a body. Stuffed into a coffee can, where nobody should ever be found. And this person... was not going to be spending Christmas with his or her family this Christmas.

* * *

_Thank you for reading!_


	3. Part III

Part III

Brennan, Daisy Wick, Clark Edison, Cam, Hodgins, and Angela all stood around the a stainless steel table. The coffee can was sitting on the table. The lid and larger pieces of bone were laying on the table separately.

"It's times like this that I'm glad I'm not one of you guys," Angela said.

"Newsflash, you are one of us," Cam replied.

Angela looked a little hurt, but a little amused.

"Welcome to the Brain Trust, baby." Hodgins grinned at Angela.

"Don't call me baby, baby." Angela replied, smiling back.

Brennan, who was leaning over the table, looked up to look between Hodgins and Angela.

"Baby," Hodgins said again.

"You're a genius, _Hodgie_. You should know that I don't like that," Angela replied flirtatiously.

"My apologies," Hodgins said, masking a huge smile as he looked down at the coffee can.

Cam and Brennan exchanged amused glances.

Clark, whose week at the lab was overlapping a case, had come in early to listen to the case. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything, but I'm here to exercise my skills in forensic anthropology, _not_ play the Newlywed Game."

Brennan breathed out, "Clark is right. Let's begin the examination."

"I'll sift through the contents of the can," Hodgins said, grabbing up the can.

"Take Clark with you. He has experience in sediment analysis," Cam suggested.

"Right-o, Boss Lady." Then to Clark, "Coming?" He and Clark walked off the platform toward Hodgins' work station.

"Not much to work with," Cam said, leaning over the larger bones that Brennan was examining.

"Where there are bones, there's enough to work with." Brennan squinted at at the humerus.

"Dr. Brennan, I would like to help you with whatever you are doing. I'm extremely adaptable," Daisy said perkily.

Brennan looked up. "You can help by being silent so I can concentrate."

Cam and Brennan looked at one another.

Brennan relented. "If you would like, you can bring me that magnifying glass over there."

Booth slid his card through the reader just as Daisy walked over to the magnifier. "Bones! Whatcha got?"

"Bones," she replied.

"Very funny."

"And ash. Not to mention a rusty coffee tin. Do you want me to draw a picture?" She smiled slightly.

"See, Bones? Someone who's bad socially wouldn't have picked up on that phrase so quickly."

Brennan rolled her eyes back to the bones. "It's impossible to tell sex or age just by looking at the bone. There's no skull, so that makes identification even harder."

"No skull again?" Booth said, referring to an earlier case.

"It's not uncommon for criminals to destroy or separate the skull or any other identifying markers. Hands, skulls. It makes it harder to solve."

"No body, no crime."

"No _identity_, no crime," Brennan replied, turning her face back to the humerus. "I'll take bone samples and see if that will give us a more accurate age."

"DNA will give you a sex," Cam supplied.

"I looked through outstanding Missing Persons reports." Booth put his hands on his hips.

"And...?" Cam asked.

"They're so deep I could swim in them."

"So, I'll have to narrow it down for you," Brennan replied, taking off her gloves and walking off the platform.

Booth turned to walk after her, but Cam stopped him, "Seeley."

He turned. "Hmm?"

"Going to the Christmas Banquet?"

"Nah."

"You're not taking Dr. Brennan?"

"_No_," he replied as if that answer would have been obvious.

"What's going on, Seeley?" She eyed him.

Booth sighed and walked toward Cam, closing the distance so that he didn't have to speak so loud. "Bones wanted me to go, but... I--"

"You said no?" She asked, shocked.

"No. Technically I didn't even answer her."

Cam rolled her eyes.

"Why would I want to go, Cam? So I can get jiggy with a bunch of Comic-Con Cruisaders?"

"Hey, don't knock Comic-Con. I went when I was seventeen."

Booth looked surprised.

"I wore a Cat Woman costume, of course. Well, if we're going to be technical here, I only wore it twenty-five minutes."

"What'd you do? Run into Spiderman?"

Cam only grinned.

"OK, then." Booth spun around.

"Booth," Cam said again.

He turned, "What?"

"It's just a banquet. You should take her."

Booth smiled and walked again toward Cam. "And why should I listen to you?"

"Because I'm your friend. And because I'm next in line for being Queen of the World. I'm pretty sure that bears some pull." Cam grinned, making her dimples grow deeper in her cheeks.

Booth sighed, "It's a lot more complicated than that, Camille."

"What's the difference, Seeley? Isn't that what you and Brennan do every day? A few drinks, a bite to eat, long deep looks into one another's eyes?" Now her grin was teasing.

"Dinner and drinks are one thing--"

"Oh, please, Seeley. Just take the woman with you. What's the worst that could happen?"

Booth sighed, then smiled at Cam. He walked off the platform to go find Brennan. Cam watched until he was out of sight, then turned her mind to finding a piece of bone suitable for DNA testing.

What's the worst that could happen? A whole night of staring at his partner in a low cut dress, making his hormones go crazy. One touch, one kiss good-night could lead into a lot of things that could snowball into one big terrible mistake.

The last thing that Booth wanted in the world was to lose the one woman who had become someone he could depend on.

* * *

_I think that's it for today. But two chapters in one day isn't half bad, right? ;)_


	4. Part IV

**Part IV**

Booth found Brennan in the Ookey Room with Clark.

"Hey, Bones."

She only briefly looked up.

"Look, I wanted to talk about..."

"Booth. You don't have to talk about anything."

"Are you mad at me?"

"No."

Booth sighed, "Bones, are you still going to the banquet?"

Without looking up, she answered curtly, "No."

"Bones! Why not?"

Now she looked up, "One, I don't like Christmas parties. I feel out of place and I hate it. And two, I have nobody to take me. Besides, I don't feel like being a fifth wheel."

"Third wheel, Bones."

"Cam, Hodgins, Angela, Roxy.... me. Five people, five wheels."

Booth was quiet for a second, then he put his hand on Clark's shoulder, making him jolt, "Hey, Clarky, how would you like to take Dr. Brennan to the Christmas Banquet? Free chips..."

"I--I..." Clark stumbled.

"_Uh_--_Booth!_ You don't need to find me a date. I can do fine on my own." Brennan crossed her arms.

"Look, Bones, I just want you to be happy, that's all."

"Well, I'm happy, thank you very much."

Booth took a step towards Brennan, "Spending Christmas Eve looking at cadavers isn't my kind of fun, Bones. It isn't anybody's kind of fun."

"Well, that just goes to show how much you know me. I find it quite intriguing."

"Just take Clark, Bones."

"I'm feeling extremely uncomfortable here," Clark muttered.

"I'm not taking Clark!"

"Take Clark."

"Anyone ever watch Days of Our Lives? I haven't because I _hate _soap operas," Clark said a little louder, then began to inch his way out of the room.

Booth grabbed his shoulder and yanked him back, "Take Dr. Brennan, Clark. She's single."

"Uh--" Clark stuttered.

"_Booth!_" By now Brennan was furious. She took off her gloves and threw them at Booth's face, then marched out of the Ookey Room.

Booth sighed, then whispered to Clark, "Zack would've taken Brennan."

Booth walked out after Brennan, leaving Clark to talk to himself, "And now we're back to comparing me to The Amazing Zack. Maybe I should quit again? D-mn student bills."


	5. Part V

**Part V**

Angela walked into a bar. No, that's not a joke. And she wasn't looking for a priest or a rabbi. She was looking for Sweets.

She found him, sitting at the bar stirring his cocktail with a pink plastic stirrer.

"Nice drink," Angela said, sitting beside him. "Did it come with a free bra?"

"Ha ha, Angela." Sweets said flatly, looking up. "Why am I here?"

"That's an awfully deep question for a psychiatrist, Sweets." Angela smiled and reached for the fruity drink, pulling it over and taking a sip. "Mmm passion berry?"

Sweets sighed and rolled his eyes. He pulled out his cell phone and read the last text message aloud, "Meet me at the bar. Ange." Then he turned it so she could read it. Sweets pulled the drink back toward him. "What's up, Angela?"

Angela sighed and pulled the drink back. Sweets struggled for a millisecond as to whether or not he should steal it back, but in the end, he just let Angela drink it. "Look, Sweets, this is between you and me, right?"

"On my honor as a man with standards."

"Standards?" Angela grinned.

"I have standards. I'm a professional psychiatrist with a three doctora--"

"Spare me the life story, Holden. Think I can have another one of these girly drinks?" Angela slid away the empty glass.

"It's not girly... it's good. It just happens... happens to be pink."

"Right. I think I grew another vagina just looking at it."

"Angela, why am I here?"

The bartender handed Angela a new glass. Angela smiled flirtatiously at him, then sipped it seductively.

"Ah. I get it. Things not going good with Roxy?"

"Huh?" Angela looked back at Sweets. "What? No. No. Well, yes. Maybe.... Yeah."

"What's the issue? Has stagnance come into play? Miscommunication? Lack of communication? That's where most quarrels come about. Communication issues."

"I... I honestly don't know what's wrong. It's not her, it's me. Heh... like you haven't heard that one before, right? Seriously, though," she reached out and grabbed a peanut and put it in her mouth. "Roxy's great. I mean, we're great. She's... _wow_. You know?"

Sweets only looked on, as if to encourage her to elaborate

"OK, look, not to go into a lot of detail, but you've seen male-fantasy girl-on-girl stuff, right? It's like that. Just picture it, OK?" Oh... Sweets was trying _not _to. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "It's like that. But better. _Way _better. But... Something's missing, you know?"

Sweets cleared his throat, "Uh.... y-you're saying that your relationship with Roxy has come to some sort of standstill and you don't know what the reason for the halt is. Right?"

Angela said nothing, but grabbed another peanut.

"I'm going to throw this out there. Just--Just listen first before you, you know, kick me in the shins. Do you have feelings for Dr. Hodgins still?"

"Well, that's a loaded question. Yes. Of course, I do. I love Hodgins. I can't just turn it off like that. We're just not good together. And we both came to that conclusion together. That's better than one of us ending it and hurting the other, right? This way we're both miserable--or, _were _miserable. Because I'm not miserable any more. Was that a loaded answer?"

"Just a tad. Do you think your feelings for Dr. Hodgins could be barring you from deepening your relationship with Miss Lyon?"

Angela pulverized a nut between her molars while she thought that one over. Then, "Maybe. I'm not so sure that I'm too hot for either one right now. I mean, it's pretty difficult to just put all of your heart out there if you don't have it all to give, right?"

"Very well put, Angela."

"So, what should I do? Break up with Roxy? Mount Hodgins?"

Sweets coughed on his drink. After regaining his composure, he replied, "I'll have to say that that one's up to you, Angela. Last time I gave you that kind of advice, you got pretty pissed at me."

"You're still mad about that one, huh?"

"Not mad, but you could say that I've learned my lesson."

Angela leaned her elbow on the counter and smiled at Sweets softly, "I know that wasn't your fault. I was projecting."

"Once again, well put."

Angela stood up and grabbed her hand bag from the counter, "Either way, thanks for everything, Sweets."

He spun around to look at her and smiled. "You're welcome."

Which is exactly when Angela leaned forward and kissed him. It was only meant to be a peck of thanks, but it turns out that Sweets froze for about 1/1000th of a second, then he kissed back... and Sweets...

Well, it was once again well put by Angela. She smiled at Sweets after the kiss was broken, "You're a pretty hot kisser for a youngster."

She walked out of the bar, leaving Sweets muttering to himself, "She's just projecting, she's just projecting..."


	6. Part VI

**Part VI**

Brennan found Hodgins still sifting through the contents of the can. He looked up momentarily. Just long enough to know she was within earshot.

"I've got a 38 bone fragments, two teeth--"

"Teeth?" She leaned over and squinted at the teeth. "One partial right central incisor, one full left second premolar. Could be enough to establish identity if we can find a supposed victim."

Cam walked up to the group holding a tablet in her hand, "Anything on the bone scans, Dr. Brennan?"

"The samples are being cut as we speak. How about you?"

Cam flipped the clip board around, "Homogametic--XX."

Hodgins grinned and looked up, "Aw, Dr. Brennan! It's a girl!"

"So our victim is female," Brennan said, purposefully ignoring Hodgins' comment. After all, what could she have said in reply?

Hodgins cleared his throat, "Which makes sense."

"Why?" Cam asked.

He picked up a melted ring with tweezers. "I can't imagine a man having fingers this small. Size 4 1/2."

"That's an extremely small finger," Brennan said, reaching for the ring. "No identifiers. No inscriptions or stones."

"But what it _does _tell us," Cam said. "Is that our victim was most likely an ectomorph. Thin build, low fat storage."

"Or... a child," Hodgins said. It was silent for several seconds while everyone hoped and/or prayed that it was not.

"Did you find anything that could lead us to a cause of death?" Brennan asked.

"If you're referring to bullets, I didn't find any. But I did find a _machete_."

Cam and Brennan just looked at him.

He began laughing, "Kidding! I was just... the tension... you know?" Neither looked amused. "Oh... Kay..."

* * *

_Thank you all for your replies and comments!_


	7. Part VII

**Part VII**

Booth didn't knock. It wasn't in his nature. He just turned the handle and walked right in. Bad idea.

He got an eyeful of what could only be described as a Daisy/Sweets sandwich on the therapist's desk.

"Woah!" Booth spun around while Sweets quickly straightened his tie and tucked in his shirt.

Daisy walked out of the room, past Booth and smiled, "Agent Booth."

"Miss Wick." The door closed and Booth turned around with a tight lipped grin and large amused eyes. "Wow... Sweets!"

"It wasn't what it looked like."

"What? It wasn't you and Daisy Wick getting it on in your office?"

"Look--"

"What, Sweets? You don't have to lie to me. It's not like I've never thought about doing that same thing in my own office."

"With... whom, Agent Booth?" Sweets grinned.

"OK, changing the subject," Booth said quickly. "I wanted to talk about Dr. Brennan."

"I thought we were changing the subject," Sweets said, smiling.

"Funny. You should do stand-up, Sweets."

Sweets sat in a chair and Booth took a seat across from him. "What did you want to talk about?"

"I think Brennan's mad at me."

"Could it be because you turned her down on Thursday?"

"I didn't turn her down, Sweets. Like I said before, I didn't even get a chance to answer her."

"Which is just like turning her down."

"You know, you're sounding more and more like a woman, Sweets."

"Hey, it's my job to listen."

"Is it also your job to grow breasts?"

"Now you've crossed the line, Agent Booth. I thought we were here to talk about issues you and Dr. Brennan have been having?"

Booth sighed and sunk a little lower in his seat, "I don't think it would be right to take Brennan to that banquet, that's all."

"And why not? Don't you two go out all of the time?"

"That's what Cam said."

"You talked to Dr. Saroyan about this? Then why are you here?"

"Isn't it your job to listen?" Sweets rolled his eyes. "Fine, it's because Cam's a woman and... you're a man... sort of. Either way, I need a different point of view on the subject."

"Agent Booth, could you do me a favor?"

"Hmm, Sweets?"

"Could you just kill the feminine wise-cracks."

"Why?"

"I've been bombarded with them lately."

Booth leaned forward a bit. This could be interesting. "Yeah? Trouble with the girlfriend?"

"Last night, I had drinks with Angela and she made a few cracks about my drink--"

"What drink?"

"Doesn't matter."

"It was a fruity drink, right? Let me guess, strawberry melon burst?"

"Passion berry."

Booth snorted.

"Anyway--" Sweets' mind wandered back to the kiss. "Hey, do you think it's cheating if a woman kisses you but you didn't initiate the kiss, but you kissed back?"

Booth began to laugh, "What? Angela kissed you?!" Booth grinned ear-to-ear as he studied Sweets' guilty countenance.

"It's... It's the lips, they're irresistible to the ladies," Sweets said dolefully, touching a finger to his lower lip.

"_Nice._ Sweets the play-yah."

"I'm not a player, Agent Booth."

"Never would've pegged you for a player, Sweets, but I'm impressed."

"Well, from the looks of it, _you're_ not playing the field as much as _you _ought to."

Booth's face grew dark, "What's that supposed to mean, Sweets?"

"When Dr. Brennan asked you to take her--"

"She didn't ask me, she said, 'So you'll take me, then?' That's not asking, that's more of a suggestion."

"I think that you know Dr. Brennan just a little better than that, Agent Booth."

Booth sighed, "Yeah..."

"I think you hurt her feelings."

"There you are with your feelings again, Sweets." Booth grinned teasingly, "Just kidding." Booth cleared his throat, "Do you think that taking her to... such an event... would be crossing a line of some sort?"

"Agent Booth, I think that if there was such a line, then it was crossed a long time ago."

"Yeah..." Then after a beat, "But now I've got another problem."

"And what's that?"

"Asking her to go with me without making it look like I'm doing it out of pity or anything like that. If you know Bones like I know Bones, you'd know that she'd deck me if I did anything remotely resembling pity."

"Good call."

Booth stood and walked toward the door, then he turned and grinned at Sweets, "I've heard wild things about Angela from Hodgins." He waggled his eyebrows, winked, and walked out the door.

Sweets murmured to himself, "It... was just a kiss... right?"

* * *

_Thanks everyone! :D Happy Sunday! Can you believe it's November?! Wow!_


	8. Part VIII

**Part VIII**

Booth walked through the Medico-Legal lab. The first person he spotted was Hodgins, so he walked up to his work area. "Any news, Bug Boy?" He tossed a poker chip in the air, caught it, then began threading it through his fingers while Hodgins answered.

"What? The ball and chain didn't tell you anything?" Hodgins leaned back in his chair and propped up his feet on the desk, crossing his ankles, and smiled cheekily.

Booth stopped threading the chip and growled at Hodgins.

Hodgins laughed.

"You know," Booth said, "I like you, Hodgins. You're just really lucky that security doesn't let me bring my weapon in here."

Hodgins continued to laugh as Booth walked away, toward Brennan's office.

Brennan looked up as he entered. "Our victim is a female," she said as she stood up from her desk. Booth followed her into the lab and onto the platform. The scanner did a double-beeped as they walked onto the platform. "I wish we had at least one complete long bone, but the only one, this humerus, is fractured, so height is difficult to determine." She tucked her fingers into the crooks of her elbows and looked up at Booth.

"So you know it's a girl?"

"Well, woman. After I cut very thin samples of bone with the microtome, I was able to see the sample more clearly. Remember that case with the bone grafts--"

"And Cullen's daughter," Booth finished with sadness in his voice.

"Yeah. Same--same situation, basically... although the technology is much improved since then."

"Yeah, Bones," he said quietly.

"She was a sweet girl, Amy," Brennan said, as a means of comforting Booth.

He smiled at her reassuringly.

"The victim, _this _victim, was twenty-five to thirty years old."

"That doesn't narrow it down much."

"Five years, Booth."

"Thanks, Bones." He turned to go out the door. "Let's just hope this one turns out better."

"Booth," Brennan said before he disappeared. He turned in the doorway. "Hodgins found a ring, although slightly melted, it was size four and a half, which suggests--"

"That she was an ectomorph--thin."

"I'm surprised you knew that."

"I've been listening, Bones." He smiled and turned.

"Booth--I wouldn't look at anybody over five foot seven, a hundred and thirty pounds."

"Thanks, Bones." He sighed and walked out of the room. Brennan watched until he was out of sight.


	9. Part IX

**Part IX**

"I'm not exactly the artistic type," Cam said that evening. She reached high, tacking a string of Chinese lanterns to a tall white pillar.

"Are you kidding? You're doing fine," Angela said as she lowered the lift. Cam stepped off and the two women walked toward the crate of decorations at the far end of the ballroom.

Cam picked up a box of fake flowers. "And we'll throw these out. Lord knows we don't want this place to look like a funeral home."

"Had enough of funerals?" Angela laughed.

"For a lifetime. Trust me, I could live the next sixty years without seeing another corpse, tombstone, or toe-tag."

"I don't know... toe-tags can be fansionable. Open-toed sandles..."

"Rigor mortis," Cam finished, laughing.

"You make a strong case, sweetie. Think you can help me with this box?"

Cam obliged and the two women moved the box to the other side of the room.

"I thought Roxy was supposed to be helping you?" Cam asked. She looked over at Angela, scrunched her face, then, "Trouble in paradise?"

"I hate that phrase, you know. It suggests that everything was once perfect."

"And perfection is a scientific impossibility, unless you're talking about certain math problems. You've been hanging out with Brennan way too much, Angela," Cam said, grinning. She laughed, then snorted and the two women tore into peals of laughter.

When the laughter died, Angela continued in a more serious tone, "I... kissed Sweets."

Cam began laughing and soon the women were laughing so hard that tears were streaming down their cheeks and Cam was rubbing her side.

The laughter calmed and Angela continued, "He might be twelve, but the guy could curl toes."

_"Really?"_

"Gah," Angela began as she thought about it, "Big lips... big mouth... you can finish this sentence..."

"Gotcha," Cam said as she helped Angela with a string of lights. "So, does this mean you want to jump Sweets now?"

"G-d no..." Angela said. She thought about it for a moment, "Think I should?"

Cam laughed.

"Noobs can be fun, right? Besides, I've never been a cougar before. Could be fun..."

"What about Hodgins?"

Angela eyed Cam, which made Cam clam up quickly. "Hodgins and I are over."

"True enough, but that doesn't explain the sexual tension in the workplace. Between you two and the Crimefighting Duo, I have to race home and take a cold shower everyday after work. P.S. I'm sending you the water bill."

The women laughed again, then Angela said, "Think you can help me with this string?"

"Anything for you... _Maude," _Cam said, pulling a chair closer for Angela.

--

_I love Cam & Sweets. ;)_

_Thanks for all of the great comments & compliments! They totally make my day... now to go eat some lunch. ;)_


	10. Part X

**Part X  
**

Booth threw seven files on the desk in front of Brennan's face.

"What are these?" She set the pen aside, putting away whatever work she had once been concentrating on.

"Seven women missing within a one hundred mile radius of the Beltsville area that fit the description. Abigail Dashiell, 26." Booth pointed at each file. "Shi Xiang, 29. Shamira Hirsch, 28. Claire Spybuck, 28. Saffron Gabriel, 27. Josie Silva, 29. Irinushka Mirloslav, 25."

"They... all could fit the description..." Brennan replied as she thumbed through the files.

"Footwork, Bones?" Booth grinned.

"I'll get my jacket." She grinned back.

--

The windshield wipers whooshed back and forth, piling icy slush on either side of the windshield as they drove.

"Maybe you should slow down, Booth?"

"Bones, I'm doing just fine."

Brennan sighed and didn't say anything for several seconds. "Maybe I should drive?"

"Why are you always trying to correct my driving? I've been driving--"

"I can dri--" Their voices rose.

"I've been driving since--"

"Maybe if you--"

"Since I was _fifteen,_ Bones!"

"I'm a _very _good driver!"

"_Fifteen!!!!"_

A second lapsed before either dared to say a thing.

At last Brennan spoke, sincerely concerned for her safety, "You know that Maryland State Driving laws suggest that one lowers his or her speed at least--"

"Are you seriously going to do this, Bones?"

"Yes, I am. I'd rather that you didn't kill me today."

Booth scoffed, "Bones, Bones, Bones... if I wanted to kill you, I'd choose something a little more sure-fire than a car wreck."

They exchanged sly glances. "You know, I'm not exactly helpless, Booth."

"I know... that's why I was _kidding_, Bones."

She only looked annoyed.

Booth glanced over at her, "Bones, I was kidding. Really. I--I honestly don't know what I'd do without you. OK? I'd... I'd miss you if anything... you know..." He sighed and they just listened to the squeaking of the wiper blades against the glass.

Brennan finally spoke, "I think you're a very good driver, Booth."

He smiled at her, "Thanks, Bones."

_--_

_There's a little fluff coming up in the next Booth/Bones chapter._


	11. Part XI

**Part XI**

Cam slid her card through the scanner and found her way over to where Hodgins and Clark were sitting. Clark was looking at a mis-mash of something-or-other, and Hodgins was sorting through the prizes yielded by the coffee can.

Hodgins grinned as Cam approached, "Did you know that it takes 30% less energy to make a polystyrene container than a cardboard container?"

"Fascinating," Cam said shortly. "And why do I care?"

Hodgins picked up what looked like a black blob with a pair of tweezers, "Plastic... well, in this case _not _polystyrene and I don't care for the word 'plastic.'"

"What is it, Hodgins?" Cam bent a little to get a better look at the blob.

"Nylon 6-6 a.k.a. polyamide. A plastic for which municipal recycling is almost non-existent. Just a little side-order there."

"Hodgins, please don't make me ask--"

Clark was quick to supply for Cam the needed information, "Nylon 6-6 has a number of applications. Carpet, apparel, airbags, tires, ropes, hoses, zip-ties--"

"_Which,_" Hodgins cut in with a warning glance to Clark. "I think is the most likely culprit."

Cam shook her head slowly, "Which...?"

"Zip-ties. I mean, it only makes sense, right? I mean, if I were to kill someone--not that I'll kill someone, although some of these interns _push _it from time to time," Clark was the one to shoot a warning look this time. Hodgins chuckled and continued, "Not enough of this little black chunk for rope, so it only makes sense that it's a zip-tie, right?"

"Anything else?"

"Iron oxide."

"Rust? From the coffee can?" Cam asked, crossing her arms.

"Hey, baby--" Cam glared at him. "And I-I only use that as a turn of phrase--if all iron oxide was the same, I'd be unemployed." He clicked around on the computer in front of him. The screen brought up what looked like a series of ridges, peaks, and mountains. "This iron oxide has trace amounts of hydrogenated carbons. That _and _the ash both have trace amounts of carbon monoxide, oxides of nitrogen, sulphur dioxide, carcinogens, mercury, and zinc." Hodgins sat on the edge of his seat, getting excited about the particulates he had found, "Not to mention, I found polychlorinated dibenzo dioxins, a number of semi volatile organic compounds, and several types of polychlorinated dibenzo furans. And get this: chlorobenzenes, lead, copper, chromium, polychlorinated biphenyls--"

"_HODGINS!_" Cam said. She blinked hard and reached up and rubbed her temple. "Don't make me throw a stapler at you."

"Dang," Clark whispered under his breath. "Boss lady's _strict_."

"It's scarier than you think-- flying staplers," Hodgins whispered to Clark.

"Exactly _what _conclusion have you drawn from this list of poly- and di- whatchamacallits?"

"A burn barrel." Hodgins replied simply.

Cam breathed in a cleansing breath, "_Thank you._ So, the victim was zip-tied and burned in a burn barrel--"

"Most likely made of steel," Clark said.

Cam didn't reply, she simply walked away.

Before stepping off from the platform, she turned around, "Next time, Hodgins, how about you jump straight to the point instead of throwing around scientific words, or that stapler threat will become a reality." With her back to Hodgins and Clark, Cam's eyes grew wide and she whispered, "_Wow_."

Clark leaned close to Hodgins, "And you're taking _her _to the annual banquet?"

"Hey, I like the difficult ones. You've met Ange, right?"

"Yeah... good luck with _that_."

Then after a beat, Hodgins replied, "She's... pretty scary, huh?"

"Some people like that." Clark shrugged.

------------------------------------

_Next chapter is the fluffy one I was talking about. I'll post it once I have another chapter written. (I like having one chappie on hold at all times just in case.)_


	12. Part XII

**Part XII**

_A part of this was inspired by a side, but it's not exactly the same, so it doesn't quite qualify as a spoiler... just a bit of a warning._

The SUV pulled, or limped, to the side of the busy interstate.

"Just stay in here," Booth said, almost out of habit.

He got out and Brennan immediately jumped out and rounded to the back as Booth opened the back and pulled out the spare tire from a hidden compartment beneath the flooring.

"Bones, you should go back inside. It's freezing."

"I'm fine, Booth. Can I help you?"

Booth slammed the back of the SUV and looked along the road. Traffic buzzed by. "Bones, you should go back inside. It's not safe."

"Booth, I've been shot, tortured, and kidnapped, I think I can handle a little traffic," she replied disbelievingly.

He studied her for a moment, sadness dancing in his eyes, "Bones, you don't know what it's like to be-- Never mind, Bones. Just... go inside, OK?"

He rolled up his sleeves as he walked the driver's side and squatted in front of the flat tire. He looked around for a moment, and a tire iron materialized in front of him. He grabbed it and looked up at the hand which had extended it. "Bones--"

"Just let me help out, Booth."

He smiled weakly, trying to push out whatever terrible memory had bubbled up inside of him. And for once, Brennan read that moment perfectly. She squatted beside him and held out her cupped palm. He dropped the loose bolts inside of her palm without saying a word against it.

"A few years ago," Brennan said. "You asked me if I wanted to know what you'd been through. I wasn't ready."

Booth silently dropped another bolt into her palm. A car drove by and the wind blew Brennan's hair into her face. Instinctively, Booth reached up and pulled a strand back that had stuck to her bottom lip.

He breathed in deeply, then turned his attention back to the tire, which he changed slower, more methodically. "I try not to think about it," Booth said as he rolled the new tire into place.

"You were.... tortured." Her breath billowed in front of her like a white cloud in the cold weather.

"Yeah," he said weakly.

"I remember from your x-rays," she replied softly.

Another car flew by and this time Brennan tucked her hair back. Booth laughed wryly. The smile quickly disappeared. "Everything changes when you watch your best friend die, Bones."

After several seconds of silence, Booth picked a bolt from Brennan's hand, then continued, "It was... terrible... I... I loved the man. Like a brother. I swore that I'd never let anyone that I loved ever die again... Not... on my watch... Not like that." He reached for the last bolt, his eyes moist but no tears brimming over.

Brennan watched him tighten down each bolt, then he turned to her. "You really shouldn't be out here, Bones. You might get hurt."

Another car whizzed by and Booth beat her to it, tucking her hair behind her ear. She reached up and touched his hand, holding his hand against her hot cheek.

Booth didn't pull his hand away for about a second. He simply let his hand rest against her soft cheek. Then, acting from spontaneity, he slid his thumb along her cheek.

"We... we should," Booth said weakly.

"Yeah," she replied, dropping her hands.

He stood, then offered a hand to her, raising her to her feet. He watched as she rounded the SUV, then got in and pulled back onto the highway.


	13. Part XIII

**Part XIII**

Sweets slumped over to Hodgins' work station. He had come looking for Booth or Brennan, but instead the only face that looked even remotely familiar belonged to Hodgins.

He walked over slowly and leaned pathetically on Hodgins' enclosure. One look, and Hodgins began laughing, eyebrows raised, nasal chuckling.

"What?" Sweets asked.

"You look like a guy in trouble."

"Why do you say that?"

"Tie's loose, hair's disheveled, and you look like the last guy that leaned on that thing."

"Who?"

"Booth. After Cam's sister kissed him."

Sweets didn't seem disturbed in the least. He just continued looking pathetic.

"You're not gonna leave, are you?" Hodgins asked when he looked up seconds later. Hodgins sighed and put down his work. "What do you want?"

"Someone to talk to."

"You couldn't find another corporate leach to talk to?"

"If you're talking about a shrink, it's highly frowned upon for an FBI psychiatrist to _have _a psychiatrist."

"That's what's wrong with the system today. Everyone wants a Checks and Balances System, but when push comes to shove, it's all taboo." Hodgins rolled out the desk chair next to him. "Have a seat, dude."

Sweets slumped over to it and sat down. "I'm not even sure if I'm supposed to tell you this."

"Just shoot."

"Daisy went all Darth Vader on me."

Hodgins suppressed the urge to fall on the ground, shrieking with laughter. "Yeah? And why can't you tell me that?"

"I told her... I told her that Angela... kissed me."

This time Hodgins laughed loudly, then covered up his mouth. "She what?"

"She just... laid one on me."

"Why?" Hodgins asked, mostly rhetorically.

"The lips," Sweets said, touching his lip. "They're kissably pouty. That's... what April said."

Hodgins grinned, held back more laughter. "Did you kiss back?"

Sweets leaned forward. "You're not gonna, like--"

"Give you a swirly? Stick you in your locker? Give you an atomic wedgie? Nah, man. Angie and I are over. Did you kiss back?"

"I couldn't help it. I didn't have any control over my own tongue."

"Woah," Hodgins said. "TMI, dude. But I know where you're coming from." Hodgins' grin softened into a bitter sweet smile, "She's... she's a good kisser." Hodgins sighed, "So... do you want Angie?"

"No. I want Daisy to let me into the apartment."

"Good call. Listen," Hodgins leaned forward. "Angie tends to project under stress. Did she... mention anything about Roxy?"

"I can't... doctor-patient confidentiality..." Sweets paused, then he nodded ever so slightly.

"Did she..." Hodgins made a few facial gestures.

Sweets nodded once again, made a few facial gestures back.

Hodgins smiled and patted Sweets on the shoulder. "Hey, you're alright, Sweets."

"Thanks... So, what should I do about Daisy?"

Hodgins grinned and patted Sweets on the shoulder. "I feel like coffee. You?"

The two men walked out of the lab, aimed in the direction of the Royal Diner.

------------------------------------------

_Thanks again for all of the great replies!!! :D_


	14. Part XIV

Part XIV

Booth and Brennan walked up to the Dashiell residence. It was a large condominium complex at the center of town. Booth flashed his badge to allow himself and Brennan access into the building. The security guard regarded them suspiciously, then buzzed them through.

When the elevator stopped on the fourth floor, Brennan said, "If we could get dental records, we could narrow it down from the teeth."

"Teeth?"

"Hodgins and Clark found two teeth. One partial. One complete. Although fractured from the heat of the fire, it's whole. We could establish identity fairly easily."

"Great. Two teeth. One whole. Seven women." Booth knocked at the front door of 428B. "But a little footwork never hurt anyone. Good old fashioned detective work." He knocked again.

"Right. Like... shoe-gum."

"What?" Booth looked at her.

The door opened and a man in his thirties answered the door. "Can I help you?"

"You really shouldn't open the door for strangers. It's not safe," Brennan said. Booth gave her a look. "What? He-- didn't even look out of the peephole," she muttered.

"It's a fairly safe building," the man said.

Booth flashed his badge, "FBI. I'd like to ask a few questions about Abigail Dashiell."

"Abigail. Yes. Come in." The man led them to the living room which was furnished elaborately.

Booth and Brennan took a seat. "Can I get you anything?"

"No," Booth said.

"I could use some water."

Booth shot her another look once the man disappeared.

"I'm thirsty," she explained.

Booth looked around. "I think this carpet's worth more than my life."

The man returned and took a seat opposite Booth and Brennan. "Did you find Abby?"

"We're just following some leads," Booth said. "And you're Abigail Dashiell's--"

"Boyfriend," the man supplied. "Tim Tucker. I--I was hoping to ask her to marry me... See how that went," the man said in strained tones.

"We found remains," Brennan said bluntly.

The man dropped the hand that he was rubbing the back of his neck with. "What?"

"Bones," Booth said.

"No, no. It's OK. I'd rather that you don't waste your time beating around the bush," Tucker said.

Brennan took out a photograph of the ring and handed it to the man. "Do you recognize this?"

The man looked at the photograph blankly, "Did you... find this with her body?"

"Does it look familiar? The ring has been melted--"

"Melted?" The man repeated weakly. Then he swallowed and looked much calmer. "What kind of metal did you say this was?"

"Why do you ask?" Booth asked.

"Abby was allergic to nickel. She didn't wear much jewelery because she was allergic to that and a couple other metals. She had sensitive skin."

"Silver plated nickel alloy," Brennan said.

"Wrong girl," Booth said. Then to Tucker, "I'd like to have our specialists at the Jeffersonian compare dentals just in case, if you don't mind."

"Anything to help you out," Tucker replied sadly. "If... if I can do anything to end this nightmare for someone...."

---

_Thank you for all of the comments & compliments!!! :D_


	15. Part XV

Part XV

After lunch, the Spybuck residence was next on the list. The house was small and clean and a man answered the door.

"How can I help you folks?" He asked.

"I'm Special Agent Seeley Booth with Major Crime Investigation. This is my partner, Dr. Brennan. Can we come in?"

The man allowed him into the living room. It seemed like a very well kept living room, spotless with the exception of a few Barbies piled in one corner.

The man took a seat and offered his guests a drink, which both declined. "Is this about Claire?"

Booth cleared his throat, "I didn't get your name."

"Aaron Spybuck. Claire was my wife."

"We found remains," Brennan started.

"What remains?" The man asked, searching their faces.

"It's nothing to be concerned with, Mr. Spybuck. We're just trying to establish identity at this point."

"Of course. Uh," The man rose and picked up a photo frame from the side table. He took out the photo and handed it to Brennan. "Anything to move the investigation along. That's Claire and Amanda, our little girl."

Brennan looked at the photograph. It seemed to have been taken outdoors at a water park. Amanda, who seemed to be around age twelve, was grinning ear-to-ear. Claire's face held a smile as well, a softer smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "Can I borrow this?"

"Of course. The, uh... I gave the local police a statement."

"You can give us an overview if you like," Brennan said.

"Well," the man began. "Last October Claire and I had a fight. Even the neighbors heard it. It was stupid, really. I'm ashamed."

"Then what?" Booth asked.

"She took her purse and drove off. I got a text message from her an hour later--even the police saw it--. It said," he blinked away tears. "It said, 'I love you honey. I'm sorry. Kisses, Claire.' That was the last I heard from her. Two weeks later, the police found her car in a ditch, her purse was in the car. It was missing credit cards and her ID-- Oh, G-d, what did they do to her?"

"I'm not even sure it was your wife, Mr. Spybuck," Brennan said, shaking her head slowly.

"What you _could _do is get Claire's dental records forwarded to the Jeffersonian, save us some work," Booth smiled, handing over his card.

"I thought you guys just got it yourselves?" Spybuck asked.

"We can. This just saves us a few loopholes. If you don't have it sent our way by tomorrow, I have to fill out a bunch of papers, jump through legal hoops."

"Yeah, yeah. I'll--I'll do that," he reached out and took the card.


	16. Part XVI

Part XVI

"What's wrong?" Roxy asked. She eyed her girlfriend from across the table of the Royal Diner.

"Nothing," Angela said. She reached across the table and stole an apple from Roxy's Waldorf salad.

Roxy cocked her head to the side, "Are you freaking kidding me, Angie?" She leaned forward, "I know you well enough to know that something's up."

"Nothing's up."

"Angie, from day one you've always made a point with not letting a single quiet night pass by and last night was like staying the night with my grandmother."

"It was that hot, huh?" Angela asked wryly.

"Angela, talk to me." She reached across the table and took her hand.

"I--I have something to tell you and it's not going to be easy."

"I'm game," Roxy replied.

Angela sighed, "What we've got... It's great--"

"You're not going to give me the, 'It's not you, it's me' speech, are you?" The Roxy's teasing grin disappeared. "Are you?"

Angela's face looked pained, "I kissed Sweets."

"Your sort-of psychiatrist?"

Angela nodded.

Roxy shrugged. "It doesn't bother me that you kissed someone else. It doesn't bother me that you cheated on me with a man, either. What bothers me is the fact that there's something going on that caused you to do that."

Now Angela really felt guilty because she was hurting someone she really cared about. "I'm sorry."

Roxy's hand retreated from Angela's. "What's going on?"

Angela looked at the table. "These last few weeks... they've been amazing, Roxy."

"But amazing doesn't cut it?"

Angela shook her head and answered almost in a whisper, "No. It doesn't."

"You're not in love with me?"

Angela paused for a fraction of a second, studying Roxy's hurt expression. Then, "I'm sorry, Roxy."

"Say it, Angie. I need to hear the truth. No more lies."

"I never lied to you."

"Say it."

"I don't... I don't love you."

Roxy bit her bottom lip, then she smiled at Angela, "Then, I think it's best that we don't waste our time here any more." She stood and grabbed her purse.

"Roxy, wait--"

Roxy paused, "It doesn't hurt like I thought it would. I'm just glad that this is happening now when we were having fun, you know? Rather than later when it would really hurt." She bent down and kissed Angela's cheek. "I just hope you find happiness."

She straightened and watched as two men walked past the window. Then she smiled down at Angela. "Speak of the devil."

Angela looked at Roxy confusedly and watched her walk out of the diner as the two familiar men entered.

---------------------

_Three new chapters for you today! Thanks for everything! ;)_


	17. Part XVII

Part XVII

"Irinushka is a good woman. She just made a mistake," her husband said adamantly in a thick accent. "I apologize for any inconvenience." Mr. Mirloslav stood and led Booth and Brennan to the door. "Irinushka is here to stay. I doubt there will be any more issues concerning my wife and the law."

The partners walked down the stone path and took their seats in the SUV. Booth pulled away from the Mirloslav residence. The sun had set and they were both tired and hungry.

"Do you think he loves his wife, Booth?" Brennan asked.

Booth tightened his lips. "I'm not sure. All I know is that if I had a wife, I wouldn't refer to her like she wasn't in the room, and I wouldn't treat her like a trained dog."

Brennan curled up her feet onto the seat, feeling exhausted. "I think that she would be a very lucky woman, Booth."

"Thanks, Bones," he replied. Jeez, what was up with Brennan throwing compliments at him lately?

Minutes later, Booth looked over at Brennan. She had turned to her side, hands tucked under her head. Her eyes had closed. And for that moment, Booth let himself think thoughts that he had muffled every day for the past four years. And for the millionth time in the past four years, he fought the urge to pull her close to him. Then he turned his eyes back to the road.

"Booth?" Came a quiet voice.

He looked to the right. "You're awake?"

"Where does this leave us?"

"Three maybes, two probablys, and two definitely nots," Booth replied. "In the morning, I'll round up the dental records for the squints."

"You don't think they'll contact their dentists?"

"It's standard procedure to ask that they send them, but 90% of the time I have to do it myself. Makes for a fun day with Caroline."

"Do you want to get something to eat?"

"We'll just order in," Booth replied.

Brennan pulled Booth's jacket over her and drifted off to sleep once again.


	18. Part XVIII

Part XVIII

Angela watched as Roxy walked out of sight. She pulled up her sleeves and buried her face into her cuffs as the pain of unshed tears burned the back of her throat.

Hodgins was the first to see Angela. He walked quickly over and sat beside Angela. Sweets knew better than to follow. He made himself scarce by sitting at the lunch counter and ordering coffee.

The familiar form next to Angela had only taken a moment to sink in. She quickly wrapped her arms around Hodgins' neck and buried her face into his chest.

Feeling Angela in his arms once again felt so right, like filling an empty hole. He rubbed her back and took in her familiar scents.

"You OK, Angie?" Hodgins asked softly.

He only heard her sniffing against his shoulder and a muffled, "Mm-hm."

Several seconds passed before anybody said anything. Finally, Angela pulled back and laughed at how ridiculous she must have looked. "Roxy and I broke up."

"I'm sorry, Angela." He handed her a napkin, which she took and wiped her eyes with.

"It's just... do I have to wait forever--? Jeez, I'm... I'm sorry, Jack. You don't have to listen to this."

"Angela." She looked up. "I'm here for you. I always have been and I always will."

"Thanks, Jack."

She hugged Jack again and saw Sweets sitting at the counter over his shoulder. "Why's Sweets here?"

"Women troubles."

"Oh you heard about that, huh?" Angela laughed, then sniffed.

"Yeah, well, these are women troubles of a different sort... Daisy."

Angela looked guilty again.

"She won't let him in the apartment."

"Now I feel like a hot nugget," Angela said. Then she grinned. "Go with me on this, OK?"

Hodgins narrowed his eyes at her, "What do you have up your sleeve, Angie?"

Angela hid her grin, then spoke up, "Sweets!"

Sweets turned, then pointed at himself and mouthed the word, "Me?"

Angela nodded and Sweets took his coffee and self over to the table and sat down.

"Are you OK, Angela?"

"Allergies," Angela replied.

"Winter allergies?"

"It's all of the damn mistletoe. Look, Sweets, I think that we should talk about you and me."

Sweets raised a brow. "Our professional relation--"

"Screw that, Sweets. Now listen. I like you. I think you're cute in a Star Wars Convention kind of way, which makes my loins boil. And that kiss. G-d, Sweets, if you went around sucking face like that, you'd get laid way more often."

"Angela--"

Hodgins just looked on, amused.

"I think we should have sex, Sweets. Hot, hot, sex. I could teach you a thing or two. I've got experience to burn."

"You're just project--"

"It doesn't have to be anything serious. Just a romp in the sheets."

"Angela, I'm dating Daisy--"

"Bring her along. You know I swing both ways."

"Angela--" Sweets was beginning to perspire profusely.

Now Hodgins was laughing really hard. He lifted a menu and began laughing behind it.

Sweets' face dropped from worried to annoyed in a microsecond. "Very funny, guys."

Angela began to laugh along with Hodgins.

"And it's your fault, Angela, that I'm probably going to sleep in my office tonight."

Angela became a little more serious, "I'm sorry about that, Sweets. I shouldn't have teased."

"Well, if you're not going to tease, you should at least give me some advice. I just don't know how to make it up to her..."

Hodgins sighed, then took his keys from his pocket. He took a key from his key-ring and slid it across the table.

"What's this?" Sweets asked.

"Key to the harbor." He took off another key, "And this one's to the yacht."

"Huh?" Sweets sputtered, growing pale.

"Take Daisy out on the yacht this weekend. On me. Call it an apology for giving you such a hard time this year. You're not half bad, Sweets."

"You're serious?"

"Yeah, man."

Angela smiled at Hodgins, then she looked at Sweets, "Let her know that you love her. That you can't live without her. Total honesty, Sweets."

"I do love Daisy, you know. It's not just because I want to sleep in pajamas tonight--" Hodgins opened his mouth, but Sweets cut him off. "And no, they're not Spiderman, Batman or any other cartoon character."

Sweets stood up. He took two steps, then turned around and practically jogged back and wrapped his arms around Hodgins' neck. "Thanks!"

Hodgins and Angela watched as Sweets walked out of sight.

Angela bumped shoulders with Jack and smiled, "Hodgins! That was sweet."

"Yeah, well, we've all got our secrets," Hodgins said, smiling. "So tell me, Angie, what would you have done if Sweets said yes to your proposition?"

"I thought it was more of a demand," Angela replied. "Did that come off more as an ultimatum?"

Hodgins chuckled. "Why would you do that?"

"I just wanted to screw with him a bit. Freak him out. It sure was fun, wasn't it?"

"Yeah, it was. But what if he said yes?"

She hadn't thought of that, but she quickly thought of an Angesque reply, "Then, I'd be the teacher and he'd be the naughty student."

Hodgins laughed.

"He's cute in a dorky way, isn't he? And he kisses like he's got two tongues. Which was pretty impressive, if I might say so myself. I've kissed a number of guys in my lifetime. Not a slutty amount, but the regular amount."

"Well," Hodgins said, smiling. "I'm happy to be counted among the lucky few."

"Want to go for a walk in the park?"

"Like old times?" Hodgins asked, grabbing his coat and throwing some money on the table.

"Of course," Angela said, linking arms with Hodgins.

-------------------

_LOL had to have a little more fun with Sweets. I love the guy! TOMORROW IS **BONES DAY!!! **Well, actually it's 9:22 PST, so it might be TODAY for you!!!!!!! (Also, it depends on when you're reading this)... I'm done rambling now. ;)_


	19. Part XIX

XIX

"Ever watch this movie?" Booth asked.

Brennan only smiled at him and raised a brow.

"Yeah. It's classic, Bones. _Close Encounters of the Third Kind._"

"What are the other two kinds?" Brennan asked.

"It's just a title."

"There must be two other kinds, or the title is moot."

Booth came into the living room. Brennan was wearing her pajamas and had already settled on the couch with a blanket over her lap.

He must have stood there, admiring like an idiot, for several seconds because Brennan looked up, "What?"

"Uh," Booth shifted his eyes to the floor, then sat beside Brennan and handed her an empty bowl. "Popcorn?"

"I'll just eat out of yours," she replied absently as the movie began.

"Yeah, no reason to dirty extra bowls," Booth replied, smiling softly.

"Is this a scary movie?"

"Used to be."

"Used to be?" Brennan asked. She sat up, crossing her legs on the sofa.

"The special effects were in their infancy when this movie came out. It was awesome when it came out, but now it's just... interesting."

Brennan reached into the bowl that rested between Booth's thighs, making him gasp for air for a moment. "Special effects? Like movies?" She asked.

"Yeah. In this movie, they used things like stop-motion and scale models, but now--"

"They use computers?"

"Yeah. Programs like Maya and SoftImage." Brennan grinned and threw a popcorn kernel at Booth. "What was that about?"

"You didn't tell me you were a computer geek. I thought you were a _Luddite_."

"I am _not _a Luddite! And FYI, you don't have to be a computer geek to know a little something about special effects."

"Luddite," Brennan said under her breath.

Booth threw some popcorn at her.

"_Hey!_"

Booth laughed.

"Was that scale modeling?" Brennan asked, referring to the movie.

Booth sunk into the seat and crossed his legs on the coffee table. "Maybe."

"You're impossible," she groaned, tossing another kernel his way.

"You're difficult," Booth countered. A kernel ricocheted off from Brennan's head.

"Then I guess we're perfect for each other," she replied without thinking. Both were silent for several seconds. She reached for more popcorn. "So, tell me about this movie."

Booth reached for a corner of the blanket, then began to explain about Spielberg and UFOs.

"I don't believe in UFOs," Brennan said, leaning her head on Booth's shoulder.

"Neither do I, Bones, but there are more things in heaven and earth than what can be measured in your lab."

"Like God?"

"Like God."

"And love."

"Yeah, Bones. And love."

Brennan took a moment to take it in. "I get love, Booth, but UFOs are a whole different story."

Booth smiled to himself. He reached over and turned off the lamp, drowning the room in darkness. With the exception of the glowing television in front of them.

"I'm glad you got a TV, Bones."

Brennan looked over at him and smiled. "Me, too."

-----------------

**_BONES DAY!!!_**

_Today at 8PM on Fox is playing "The Skull in the Sculpture"! Can't wait!_


	20. Part XX

Part XX

"You are an extremely fortunate man, Booth. I like you. That's why I'm not gonna shoot you," Caroline Julian said.

"Good morning to you, too, Caroline," Booth replied over the phone.

"I didn't say anything about it being a good morning."

"Brennan and I are trying to catch a killer."

"And I'm trying to catch my morning cup of joe. We all have our bad days and this just makes for paperwork and flashbacks of grad school."

"I'll make it up to you. Take you out to dinner?"

"I'll be ready at eight," she replied, then hung up.

Booth chuckled and put the phone into his pocket.

--

"She looks so sad," Angela said, looking at the photograph of Claire and Amanda Spybuck.

"It looks like it was a hot day," Brennan replied. "I don't know about you, but on days in which there is high humidity, I tend to be a bit on edge."

"No, sweetie, this is... sadness. Her smile doesn't even reach her eyes."

Brennan gave her friend an odd look, then walked over and looked at the picture and studied it for a moment, "I don't know what you mean, Ange."

Angela put a hand on her hip, "When you're happy--I mean, really, really happy, your eyes just smile."

"Eyes can't smile... they're _eyes_."

"Trust me. They _can._ Listen, sweetie, I'm going stag to the banquet. Wanna be my totally platonic female date?"

"I wasn't planning on going."

"You've _got _to. It'll be like prom, minus the parking lot sex."

Brennan smiled, "I never went to prom."

"All the more reason to go with me."

Brennan thought it through, "Stag?"

"It's a colloquialism for single, dateless, sweetie."

"And I should go?"

"It's on Christmas Eve, sweetie. We'll have a few drinks, dance naked in the snow, and wake up in pools of our own vomit. It'll be wonderful."

"What? I won't be the designated date?"

"Not this year, sweetie. So you'll go with me? Cut loose? I promise no meth mummies, fungal lung diseases, or butt photo copying."

After a moment, Brennan replied, "Fine. I'll go."

"You'll go where?" Booth asked, walking through the door.

"To the banquet," Angela replied.

"So you're going?" Booth asked Bones.

"Yes."

Booth smiled, "Good. Hey, did you get the dental records?"

"Clark is reviewing them right now, but from what I saw, it looks like Claire Spybuck."

Booth sighed and sat on the sofa. "I guess we should go back to the Spybucks. Find that burn barrel."

"You think it's Aaron Spybuck?" Brennan asked.

"That's usually the way it goes, right? Angry lover gets mad, gets rid of the problem."

"I don't think we should jump to that conclusion. It's not fact-based."

"True enough, Bones. So, then, we'll start looking for motive. Check into that car-on-the-side-of-the-road story."

"Just give me a minute, I just have to check on Clark's progress before we can go." Brennan left the room, leaving Angela and Booth alone.

Angela eyed Booth for a minute. Booth shifted under her gaze. "What?"

"Why didn't you say yes to Brennan?"

"What?"

"When she asked you to the banquet. You said no."

"I didn't even answer her," he corrected.

"Well, why didn't you?"

"Well," Booth said. "There--There's-the, uh, the--"

"Please. Don't tell me 'the line'."

"Yeah, Ange. The line. There's a line when you're in a professional relationship--"

"What'd you do last night?" Angela cut in.

"We investigated a murder."

"And?"

"Ate."

"What did you do _after _all of the crimefighting was over?"

Booth just scowled at her, "You have a bad habit of sticking your nose where it doesn't belong, Angela."

"I'm just saying that that line you two talk about so much hardly _exists!_" Angela called after him as he stormed out of the office.


	21. Part XXI

Part XXI

_FBI Crime Lab. Afternoon._

"This is the car," Booth said to Hodgins, pointing at the Station Wagon. "They kept it as evidence."

Hodgins blew up a glove like a balloon and shoved his fingers into the slots. "If there's evidence of foul play, I'll find it."

FBI Forensic Tech Marcus Geier walked up to the group. One look at Hodgins and he groaned, "Oh, great. You again."

Hodgins turned around and grinned, "Hey, Sporty Spice."

"You're a real ass, you know that, Dr. Hodgins?"

"My mom used to tell me that. It just sounds so much less insulting coming from you. I'm disappointed."

Geier scowled at Hodgins, then looked at Booth, "We'll go over that car with a fine toothed comb, Agent Booth. Did you want me to process it like it hadn't been processed before?"

Booth shrugged, "Give it a thorough inspection." Then under his breath as Geier walked away, "Not that it'll help."

Hodgins looked at him, "And what do we mean by that?"

"Nothing."

"You think this was a cover-up?"

"Spybuck just rubbed me the wrong way. Brennan said not to jump to conclusions, but--"

"I can't believe I didn't see it before," Hodgins said, eying Booth.

"See what?"

"You're just like me, man. Conspiracy theories all the way."

"No. _No_. I'm not like you. I don't have paranoid ramblings. I don't believe in little green men. And I most definitely _do not _consider a day at the _dump _a good day." Booth put his hands on his hips.

"Whatever. All I'm saying is that you have to be a conspiracy theorist to come up with the _theories _that you come up with."

"I'm sorry. Are you speaking squint? I left my _Geek_tionary at home."

"I thought Dr. B would've taught you a thing or two about other tongues by now," Hodgins replied slyly.

"I know where you live," Booth uttered sotto voce.

Hodgins chuckled. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to put on rubbers and roll around in the back seat of that station wagon. It's not as fun as it sounds." He walked away, pulling the other glove on.

--

Brennan looked at an x-ray as Clark and Angela stood around her. Angela had rendered the two teeth into a 3D computer model and she looked between the two images. "You were right, Clark. It's a match. Very astute."

"Thank you, Dr. Brennan."

"Have you established cause of death, yet?"

"Uh--"

Cam interrupted, walking up to the group, "DNA results are in. It's definitely Claire Spybuck. Her DNA and Amanda's matched to an accuracy of 99.9 percent."

Brennan nodded, "Which collaborates the dental comparison."

"Do we have a cause of death yet?" Cam asked, looking between Brennan and Clark.

"Uh, well," Clark stood and the group followed to his work station where he pointed at a bone he had been examining.

"What is it?" Angela asked.

Brennan lifted it and looked at it closer. "It's a sphenoid." Then she pointed to her temple. "It's fractured. "

"From the fire?" Cam asked.

"I'm not sure. Have you looked at this under high power magnification?" Brennan asked Clark.

"Yes. I fairly positive that it was not caused by the fire. I just wanted you to double check my work."

Brennan sat down and looked at it under the magnification. "You were correct, Clark. This was not caused by the fire. There seems to be--"

"A depression," Clark finished.

"Correct. It's impossible to tell from what just by looking at this portion of sphenoid."

"I'll do a few experiments," Clark said.

"Oh, where is Hodgins when you need him?" Angela smiled. The way she said his name, though, made Cam look at her and smile knowingly.

----------------------------------

_Oky doke, I'll be back with more tomorrow. ;)... Of course it's 11PM, so my tomorrow is your today and... I'm rambling... _

_And one note on the chapter... no two. Geier is the FBI tech who wears glasses, was in... actually he was in tonight's episode... and one more note: Sotto Voce is my new word of the day. It means to say quietly, under your breath... I kept reading "sotto to Booth" or "sotto to self" --stuff like that in sides and I had to look it up. Sotto yielded no results, but a search on Yahoo led me to "sotto voce" prn. saw-taw vo-che... Done rambling. I swear. ;)  
_


	22. Part XXII

XXII

_Royal Diner, Evening  
_

"Thanks for looking over the file, Sweets," Booth said.

"No problemo, guys," he replied. "I'm just glad that you and Dr. Brennan are finally seeing the usefulness of my knowledge. You two don't want to admit it, but I'm growing on you."

Ignoring that comment, Booth continued, "So, what do you have for us?"

"I went over the file. It seems that the Spybucks were involved in a volatile relationship."

"So, you agree with Booth? That Aaron Spybuck killed his wife?"

"Not necessarily, Dr. Brennan. Although, it doesn't rule him out, either. The death itself could have been accidental, or perhaps caused by a shove?"

Booth looked at Brennan, who explained, "Clark found an impression in the sphenoid. It's this bone here," she pointed to her temple.

"You found skull?"

"Skull fragments," she clarified. "The victim's head collided with a hard, dense object shortly before her demise."

"Like a baseball bat?" Booth asked.

"Or a coffee table."

"The issue," Sweets continued. "Arises with the way that the body was disposed of. She was bound with zip-ties, which suggests she was either not deceased yet, or that she had died while in captivity. Claire Spybuck was burned like garbage, doused in gasoline--"

"Wait," Booth interrupted. "If she was treated like garbage, why would this guy--or gal--have dug out the ashes and then buried them beneath a tree?"

"Very insightful, Agent Booth. Whoever this was couldn't bear to see refuse burned on top of Claire's body. He felt--not necessarily remorseful--but loving in a twisted way."

"Fits the angry husband profile," Booth said, sipping his coffee.

"What about the car-in-the-ditch scenario?" Brennan asked.

"Doesn't match up. None of Mrs. Spybuck's credit cards were ever used. Her identity was never stolen afterward. Why commit a murder and highjack a car only to never carry out your original plan?"

"Sweets was right."

"Hmmm?" Both men looked up.

"You are very insightful."

Booth grinned. Sweets looked between the two as they looked longingly at one another. And these two weren't more than partners? Even a twelve year old could see that that was bull.

Booth leaned across the table, "What's with all of the compliments lately, Bones?"

"What? I can't compliment my partner?" Booth didn't reply. "My friend? Look, maybe I am just admiring your expertise." She smiled. "What?"

"Nothing," he replied softly.

"So, um," Sweets interjected. "Did the FBI Forensics Team find anything in the car?"

"I should get a call any min--" Booth's phone rang. "Speak of the devil. Booth." He listened and spoke in hushed tones, then hung up and took a bite of his food while Sweets and Brennan looked on waiting for him to fill them in.

"Booth. The least you could do is tell us what they said."

Booth swallowed, "That was Hodgins. They didn't find anything. Mozzarella stick?"

Brennan just looked at him, annoyed, "You aren't worried at all?"

"No, of course not. Ranch or marinara?"

"Marinara. Why not?" She reached out and dipped the stick, but didn't bother to eat it. She just set it on the plate and crossed her arms on the table.

"No, Bones. It just collaborates the thought that this whole ditch story is a bunch of hooey. Sweets? Mozzarella stick?"

"So where do we go from here?"

"So," Booth wiped his fingers on a napkin and leaned forward. "We have a fight the night before Claire's disappearance, a cell phone call from Claire while Aaron was supposedly at work and she was supposedly alive--"

"He could have easily taken the phone and called to throw off the time of death," Brennan said.

"Exactly." Booth thought for a few seconds. "Aaron was ten minutes late for work that morning, saying he had to get gas. Maybe we can find gas receipts, but he could've used cash."

"We need to find the burn barrel."

"There wasn't one on the property."

"But that doesn't mean that he didn't use somebody else's barrel." Brennan leaned forward, too.

"Or someone else's property."

"Or they have more property."

"I'll do a search tomorrow. Smart thinking, Bones. Listen, I need to go over to Rebecca's. I said I'd help Parker with his science experiment tonight."

Brennan's eyes twinkled.

Booth chuckled. "It's on subliminal messages."

"Wh-That's not even real science!"

"Rip my heart out and throw it into a pit of fire, why don't you?" Sweets asked under his breath.

"No offense, Dr. Sweets."

Booth just laughed. "I'll see you tomorrow. Maybe we'll go snoop around the Spybuck residence. See if we can find cause for a warrant."

------------------

_Welcome to Thursday's post! I liked last night's episode. I want Hodgela back, but I'm glad to see Sweets and Daisy together--super cute!_


	23. Part XXIII

XXIII

_Christmas Eve, late morning._

Booth pulled up to the Jeffersonian's parking lot. From miles away, he could see black clouds billowing into the sky. As soon as he stopped, he jumped out and ran up to the group of people in blue lab coats.

"What the hell is all of this?" He yelled, looking at all of the squints. For a moment, he thought, Oh, G-d, the world is being overrun!

Hodgins pulled up his goggles and walked up to Booth. "How goes it, G-Man?"

"Hodgins, why the hell is there a fire in the parking lot of the Jeffersonian? You've got a permit, right?"

"You people and your legal hoops. Of course I've got papers." He held up the paperwork.

Angela came up, "Hey, Booth. Want some s'mores?"

"Just try to explain to me why there's a burn barrel on fire in the parking lot? Hmm?" He placed his hands on his hips.

"It's a little Christmas-Eve shindig, Booth. Loosen up. Besides, it's like 20 degrees out."

Booth just shook his head. "Did you clear this with Cam?"

"And let her spoil our fun? No way."

"People!" Cam called as she walked a quick pace through the parking lot, her arms crossed over herself to keep her warm. "What the heck is with the flaming barrel?"

The crowd parted so that she could focus her fury on Hodgins.

"Hodgins, I really hope that you have an explanation for this."

"Yeah, sure. Clark and I--"

"Woah," Clark cut in. "You can leave me outta this."

Hodgins grinned. "We just wanted to see if our victim was injured in the course of being dumped into the burn barrel."

"And that required two gallons of gasoline, six packs of hot dogs and buns, and the fixings for _s'mores?_"

"Mostly we wanted to burn something," Hodgins admitted. "Hot dog?"

"You are seriously pushing it, Dr. Hodgins. Now pass me the ketchup." Cam said, holding back a grin.

Booth shook his head and left the parking lot to go find Brennan just as a light snow began to fall from heaven.


	24. Part XXIV

XXIV

"Hey, Bones. Any luck with the temple bone?" Booth asked, stepping onto the forensic platform.

Brennan looked up from her work, "It's a sphenoid bone. There's a huge difference between the temporal bone and the sphenoid bone. They're adjacent, but not the same thing. And no. Nothing new."

"Oh... well, I didn't have any luck with the Spybucks."

She put down her work and looked up, "What do you mean?"

"They don't have any other property and neighbors don't remember any burn barrels or anything like that in the back yard."

Brennan sighed, "So what now?"

"Well," Booth said, strolling over to Brennan. "Tonight, I have Charlie looking into property owned by family and friends. We'll take a break until the 26th then get back to work."

"I'll probably be in tomorrow."

"On Christmas, Bones? Nope. I won't have it. You're coming over and having hot chocolate with me and Parker."

"Booth, I don't think--"

"Bones, it's Christmas. Christmas is all about family and friends. You're friends." He lowered his face just a little bit and flashed his patented smile, "Please?"

She rolled her eyes and smiled, "Fine. So you have Parker tomorrow?"

"Rebecca's dropping him off at noon. Be there, be square?"

"Sure. I'll be square." She stood and took off her jacket.

"Where are you headed off to?" He followed her into the office.

"There's that banquet tonight."

"Oh. That's tonight, huh?"

"Yes. And I'm going with Angela. I should probably go get ready. See you tomorrow?"

"Hot chocolate, Bones." He grinned as he watched her walk towards the office. He waited until the door was closed before tossing a poker chip in the air and jogging off the platform and out the door.

----

_I can see we're coming into the home stretch! Get ready for an ending that will blow up your mind! ;)_ (snicker)


	25. Part XXV

XXV

Before leaving the Jeffersonian that night, Hodgins walked into Angela's office. There, he found her sitting at her desk, hard at work on a sketch.

"What are you up to?" He asked as he sauntered in.

Angela looked up and quickly pressed the sketch pad to her chest. "Hey, Hodgins. What time are you picking up Cam?"

"I'm just meeting her there. I offered to pick her up, then she offered to fire me, so--"

"She didn't." Angela tipped her head to the side.

"Nah, she didn't. I'm just escorting her. Didn't want anyone to get the wrong idea. So..." He tried to peek at the sketch, which Angela pushed closer to her chest again. "What's that, Angie?"

Angela sighed, "Fine. Promise you won't laugh?"

"I won't laugh," he promised.

Angela sat the sketch pad on the desk and Hodgins moved closer so he could see it. The sketch was of Claire and Amanda Spybuck smiling, arms wrapped around one another, dressed in ear muffs, scarves, and knit hats. "I just... I couldn't stand the thought of... Claire didn't look happy at all and Amanda--Amanda... She'll never get a chance to have another picture taken with her mother. I kinda know how that feels. I just wanted her to have one happy picture, you know?" Angela looked up at Hodgins.

Jack looked at the sadness in Angela's eyes, then took her quickly into his arms.

"I just don't understand how my mom could have left like that. She might as well be dead. Sometimes I think that hurts more--knowing she's alive, living a different life in an entirely different country..." She trailed off.

Hodgins smoothed Angela's locks against her back, "You are an amazing woman, Angela. I think that your mom was the one who missed out. She missed out on knowing an exciting, intelligent, funny, caring woman."

Angela pulled back and smiled at Hodgins, her arms still around his neck. "You're not... just saying that because you're gonna get some tonight, are you?" She smiled, one eyebrow tipping up.

Hodgins grinned, "No. I said it because I meant it."

She leaned in and kissed him. He pulled her tighter to him and they stood that way, arms entangled for what seemed like an eternity, trying to make up for lost time.


	26. Part XXVI

XXVI

"Well, things seem to be back to normal with them," Cam said to Brennan that evening.

Brennan followed her gaze to Angela and Hodgins. She smiled, "Angela called me and dumped me about an hour ago."

"Me, too... Well, Hodgins dumped me." Cam smiled and they watched as the two danced and kissed. "Merry Christmas, Brennan."

Brennan smiled at Cam, "And Merry Christmas to you, too." For a moment, she thought about the irony. Two years before they wouldn't have been able to be in a room alone for five minutes. Now she found herself respecting and even really liking Cam's blunt and fiery spirit.

They were both dressed in cocktail dresses. Cam's was wine-colored, A-line and strapless. Brennan's dress was a black floor length 1950's inspired dress. The ball room at the Jeffersonian was packed wall-to-wall with scientists, employees, and donors.

"Well, if you'll excuse me, Dr. Brennan, I have to go mingle with the big donors. Word has it that Viktor Valentin is in the house."

"The man who donated three hundred million to the Lab?"

"Yes. Which means that I'm late already. Talk to you later."

Brennan watched as she walked off through the crowd.

After a minute, she felt a tap on her shoulder.

"May I have this dance?"

She turned, half expecting somebody she had hoped to see standing there originally. Instead, she saw the familiar face of Mr. Bancroft.

"Of course, Mr. Bancroft."

He led her through the crowd. The music slowed, then took up pace again with a new tune. This time the live band played a waltz, which Brennan tried desperately to hide her inadequacy in.

The inadequacy in her dancing ability was only multiplied when Mr. Bancroft began to make small talk. "Merry Christmas, Dr. Brennan. "

"And you, too."

"I understand you are investigating a murder as we speak?"

"Actually, I'm dancing as we speak."

"Not... literally. I meant--"

"Yes. We are. But I really can't go into detail due to legal restraints."

"Of course, of course. Writing anything right now?"

"I don't like to discuss my current projects."

The music ended and the crowd stopped dancing. Brennan right-faced and joined the group in applauding the band. She could only find herself thanking--Fate? Luck?--_Anybody _that the music was done and she was able to walk off the dance floor to regroup herself.

She found herself at the edge of the crowd just as the music began again. Angela slipped through the crowd, "Wanna dance, sweetie?"

She shook her head, "No. Trust me, I'm much better off not dancing tonight."

Angela smiled slightly, "Mind on something--or some_one_--else tonight?"

"I--" Brennan paused. Should she really say what was on her mind? "I--"

Angela's eyes drifted over Brennan's right shoulder. The look on her face made her follow the gaze. She turned slightly and saw the familiar face she was was waiting for. "Booth?"

He stood in front of her wearing a tuxedo, bow-tie, and grin.

"What are you doing here?" She asked incredulously.

"I was in the neighborhood," he replied, shrugging casually.

She looked him up and down, "You were in the neighborhood. In a tuxedo? And a ridiculous bow-tie?"

"Hey, it's not ridiculous. It happens to be classy," he defended, straightening the offended tie.

"You look like a penguin."

"But a sexy penguin," he smiled. Angela looked between them, smiled, and slipped out of sight, leaving the two alone.

"I don't like it." She crossed her arms, trying her best not to burst into a smile.

"Hey, I wear suits all day. Ties are part of my every day wardrobe. It's a slight shift from the regular. I'm trying, OK?" He stepped forward as he spoke.

"Were those the only choices? A tie or _bow _tie?"

"No, Bones," Booth said, _sounding _a little more annoyed, but quite honestly he was enjoying every second, as was she. "They had about thirteen things that I couldn't pronounce and twelve of them would make me look like I worked part time as a carnie."

"I don't know what that means," she shook her head. Loose curls slid across her neck.

"Carnival workers... Nothing?" No reaction. He moved on. "You should be happy, by the way."

"_Happy?_ Why should I be happy?"

"I came here for you, Bones. To surprise you. And this suit comes without a return policy, so--" He stopped, realizing that despite her straight face, her eyes were smiling. "You look..." He smiled at her and she finally let her smile break out. He let his eyes graze her body. _Breathtaking _was an understatement. "You look really... nice. No." She looked up. "You look beautiful, Bones."

She tipped her head towards the crowd. "Would you like to...?"

"Yeah." He smiled and held out his hand, which she took. He walked her onto the dance floor. They stood on the outside of the crowd. Booth put his hand on her waist, holding her hand in his. It would be safe to say that neither were breathing at that moment.

Then Booth's cell rang.

He cursed his 24-7 job and looked at the cell. "Charlie," he said into Brennan's ear, above the noise. "I've gotta take this."

She followed him out of the room and stood outside in the snow. Brennan buttoned up her jacket as Booth dialed Charlie back.

----------------

_Aw, shucks.... Thanks for all of the comments!!! :D This next chapter is my favorite..._


	27. Part XXVII

XXVII

Several black SUVs and vans lined the side of the unpaved road. Tall oaks stretched their thin fingers through the night sky. They were illuminated eerily by the lights of several large spotlights on the undersides of their boughs.

Booth jumped out of the SUV when it pulled to a stop and opened the door for Brennan. She quickly ignored the shiver from the silver snow that flecked her bare neck. They walked over the frozen ground. Eventually they came up to Agent Charlie Burns who stood with Geier and and several other forensics techs. All were wearing black knit hats which were specked with white flakes of snow. Charlie wore a scarf and gloves.

Charlie chuckled once he looked at Booth, "Booth. Seeley Booth. Don't you that it screams 007 just a little _too _loud?" Then his gaze shifted to Brennan, "Wow. You look--Wow. You just--"

"Easy there, buddy," Booth warned.

"Right. So," Charlie began as they walked over to where the lights were mostly aimed and a tall man in a green jacket was standing talking to another agent. "This property belongs to Mike Greenman."

"And who is he?" Brennan asked. She slipped for a second, but Booth quickly grabbed her arm and stabilized her.

"You OK, Bones?"

She nodded.

"Greenman is Aaron Spybuck's brother."

"Half brother?" Booth asked.

"Bingo. And guess what we found?"

"A burn barrel." Brennan replied.

"Yes. And I think our little lab friend will take it from here," he replied as they came up to the burn barrel.

While Geier explained the bone chips he found in the barrel, Brennan and Booth kept glancing over at the man in the green jacket.

"Greenman?" Booth asked Charlie in a whisper.

"Mm-hmm," Charlie replied.

"I think I'm gonna have me a talk with Mr. Greenman. Nice job, Charlie. " Booth walked past him, patting him on the shoulder.

"Thanks."

Greenman immediately turned his attention to the agents who were walking up to him.

Brennan said something to Geier and walked past him to Greenman. Geier looked annoyed at being cut off mid-explanation and just hung in the background as he followed Booth, Brennan, and Burns.

Booth flashed his badge. "I'm Special Agent Booth, this is my partner Dr. Brennan, and you've met Agent Burns. Mind if I have a word with you?"

"Of course," Greenman replied. "I need to make this quick though, my daughter's waiting in the car." He nodded in the direction of a Honda waiting about fifty yards off, lights shining on an elm's trunk.

"Yeah, I'll make it quick. You said you're Aaron Spybuck's brother?"

"Yeah." He looked over the pair. "A little overdressed?"

"Keep your eye on the ball, Mike. When was the last time you used this barrel?"

"Last fall, I think."

"Are you aware that your sister-in-law's remains were burned in this barrel?" Brennan asked bluntly.

Booth rolled his head over to her, flashed her an annoyed glance, then tipped it back to Greenman. "Are you?"

"Oh. G-d, that's terrible! I... I always knew that my brother would kill Claire eventually."

"What do you mean by that?" Brennan asked, brushing off the urge to chatter her teeth.

"They were always fighting. Claire and I... we were close--"

"_How _close?" Booth narrowed his gaze.

"Not _that _close. Just close enough to know that my brother didn't treat her the way that she deserved. She was a good woman, Claire." He paused, holding back emotion and blinking away tears.

"Were you in love with Claire?"

The man avoided that and replied with, "You shouldn't be looking at me. Look at my sonovabitch of a brother. He probably pushed her into the coffee table or threw her off the porch or something."

"Agent Booth? I think I found something," Geier said.

Booth glanced over at Booth, then back at Greenman. "Think you can handle this for a second, Bones?"

She nodded and smiled, glad to have the chance to interrogate the suspect and confident that Charlie would do a fine job, being that he stood not two feet off.

Booth put his arm around Geier and they stepped away. "What is it?"

"I found a partial finger print and a possible murder weapon. "

"What is it?" Booth asked, crossing his arms.

"First of all, can I just make a suggestion about the bow tie?"

"No you _cannot_."

Geier went on, "That stump over there," he pointed to a stump a few feet away. "Looks like a visual match for the imprint found on the skull fragments Dr. Brennan uploaded onto our main frame."

"And the finger print?" Booth said.

"I'm pretty positive that it was put there when the killer put the body into the barrel. We're running it through our system now. If this guy has a record, we'll find out in a couple of minutes," Geier replied.

"Are you OK, Mr. Greenman?" Brennan asked. The man had suddenly gone pale.

She turned slightly to follow his gaze, which ended in Booth and Geier. Before she even knew what had happened, Greenman pulled a blade from his pocket. He pulled one of Brennan's arms behind her back and the blade went to her throat.

Booth was quick, too. He pulled out his weapon and aimed it at Greenman's head. "Let her go."

"No," he replied hoarsely, stepping back and ducking his head behind Brennan.

"Let her go. We can talk downtown. Don't make this any worse than it has to be."

"I can't do that," he replied, his voice wavering.

Brennan only wanted out of the man's grasp. The fact that she was shivering with adrenaline and cold, in 6 inch heels, and her arm was pulled painfully behind her back only shunned any thoughts of kicking that man's ass.

"Let her go," Booth said again. "I swear to G-d. On the Bible. If you kill her, I will stomp your damned head in."

Despite her best judgment, Brennan could feel her lungs begin to suck in short hot breaths, causing her head to spin. 'Don't pass out. Don't pass out,' she said to herself.

Booth cocked his weapon, which made Greenman pull the sharp blade tighter against her throat. Thick red blood trickled down her white throat and between her breasts. That made Booth feel cold with fear and hot with fury within a two second window.

"Why'd you do it?" Booth asked, deciding to take another path. Any path. He would have gladly blown the man's face off, had it not been for the fact that he was using his partner as a shield.

The man sobbed, resting his head against Brennan's neck. "I didn't want to do it... Oh, G-d... Why?"

"What happened?" Booth asked. From the corner of his eye, he saw a few black-clad agents creep through the trees.

"I just... I just wanted her to be safe.... Why?... Why, G-d?... No... Not Claire," he whimpered.

"You wanted her to be _safe?_ By bashing her head in and burning her like garbage in a burn barrel?"

'Breathe. Breathe,' Brennan told herself. She didn't know why she felt so afraid... so helpless. She couldn't move and the feeling of her own blood trickling down her throat and pooling in her bra didn't help much. All she wanted to do was to call out Booth's name. 'Breathe, breathe.'

"You don't know what the hell you're talking about," Greenman replied to Booth. "I--I loved Claire. Not like that. I was her _brother_. Her _protector_. I wanted her to leave Aaron, but she refused. We got into a fight-- I pushed her--I'm... I'm so sorry." He sobbed again against Brennan's hair, but the blade held firm to her neck.

Booth watched the agents in the background. They signaled to one another, and after a few seconds, one of the agents held his weapon to his eye.

Booth tried once more. "Please. Let Brennan go. You can't win, Mike. You're surrounded by sniper trained agents."

The man didn't reply. He just continued crying softly.

"Dad!"

Brennan watched as a blond teenager, around fifteen ran up to them, tears streaking down her cheeks. "Dad, please! Don't. They've got guns, Dad!"

The man froze and looked up over Brennan's shoulder. The agents kept their weapons aimed at Greenman. Greenman watched as his daughter walked up to him. Seeing the pain in her eyes was unbearable. No father wants to cause his child pain. "I'm sorry, Chels."

"Dad, you can still do the right thing. Please, Dad. _Please!_" Chelsea watched her father, his blade to Brennan's neck, blood coagulating at her throat.

Mike threw the knife to the ground. It stuck, blade down, into the frozen soil. Brennan stumbled away, falling to the ground. Holding her hand to her throat, blood seeped between her fingers.

Chelsea ran into her father's arms. He hugged her for a fraction of a second before Booth turned him around and cuffed him. "You have the right to remain silent--" He watched as a few agents quickly led Brennan away to an awaiting ambulance. Its red and white lights flashed in the dense black forest. "Anything you do or say can and will be held against you in a court of law..."

Christmas eve shouldn't be like this. Daughters losing their fathers, aunts, and mothers. His partner being led away without him being able to be the first to hold her close to him.

---------------------------

_Tomorrow I will post the last chapters. I think we'll have 2 or 3 more chapters, depending if I decide to split the last one. Either way, tomorrow is Fluff Day! Be forewarned! _


	28. Part XXVIII

XXVIII

The paramedic, a redheaded woman in her forties, whose name tag read TACY, stepped out of the back of the ambulance. She smiled at Booth and the spoke shortly, "Dr. Brennan will be fine."

Booth smiled, nodded and jumped into the back of the ambulance. He sat on the gurney where Brennan was sitting. The doors closed behind them to keep the heat inside.

Brennan had a warm gray blanket wrapped around her feet and a silver thermal blanket wrapped around her shoulders. On her throat was a square of gauze which was held down by surgical tape.

"How you doin', Bones?" He asked softly.

"Cold. Mostly." She turned and smiled at Booth, but the pain of the action forced her to shift her whole torso toward him instead.

"Why are you refusing to go to the hospital, Bones?"

"They treated me fine here, Booth. They even applied Dermabond to the wound. It should heal nicely."

"And your arm?"

"Hurts."

Booth eyed his partner, feeling guilt and sadness.

"How's Chelsea?" She asked quietly.

"Charlie took her home, but I have a feeling that her night is only beginning."

"Booth? Will you take the tape off? I feel like I'm strangling."

Booth scooted closer to her. He held her face gently in one hand and the other he slid around her neck and found the end of the tape. He slowly pulled each piece of tape off. He took his time. Mostly to keep from jolting the injury or hurting Brennan, but also, he liked holding her so close, so intimately. After the last piece of tape came off, he inspected the injury. Dried blood stained her neck and the gash, which was only about an inch long, seemed to be sealed firmly with the Dermabond.

"Look, I'm sorry, Bones," Booth began, not removing his hand from its place on her cheek.

"For what? For this? You didn't--"

"No, Bones. That's not it," he replied softly. Then he took in a breath, "Remember when I told you about my best friend dying in my arms?"

She nodded.

"I shouldn't have said that--"

"It didn't bother me, Booth."

"I shouldn't have implied that you didn't know what it felt like to have your best friend die in your arms." Tears filled Brennan's eyes and she shifted her gaze downward. Booth lifted her chin, "Because you do."

"Booth, I'm fine with what--"

Booth placed his thumb on her lips, effectively cutting her off and causing her heart to beat wildly in her chest. "I wouldn't be. When Greenman-- And you were bleeding-- Bones, I'm sorry."

They looked at one another. A million words went unspoken in those seconds.

"After you died--I just... I thought, how am I going to go on?" A tear escaped down her cheek. "Without you," she whispered, trying to keep any more tears from overfilling.

Despite wanting desperately to kiss her then, he pulled her close and hugged her. The angle of her neck on Booth's shoulder, though, made her yelp and pull back slightly. They both froze, realizing the proximity of their lips. Instead of moving back, Booth moved forward, brushing his lips against Brennan's. And how could it not have been amazing? Feeling her lips against his. Tasting her, holding her close, taking in every sense. The kiss grew from experimental and sweet to a passionate release of years of pent-up sexual tension.

Brennan smiled against his lips, reached up and untied the tie, slipping it off from his neck.

"Woah, Bones," Booth laughed.

"I've wanted to do that all night." She kissed him again.

"Kiss me or take off my tie?"

"Both. So, your place or mine?" They kissed deeply, their tongues dancing, desire building.

The kiss broke just long enough for Booth to mutter, "Both."

----------------------------------

_There are 2 more fluffy fluffernutter chapters left! *sigh* So sad to see this one ending. I'll be starting another, though, that will take a lot longer because of its intensity. I'll be posting that this weekend. Thank you all for all of your comments and compliments!!! Oh, one more thing, the paramedic in this one is named after (last name) my mom, who was (retired now) an EMT, and she's a redhead. I couldn't help myself. ;)  
_


	29. Part XXIX

XXIX

The first thing she noticed, before her eyes had even opened, was his scent. It enveloped her in its familiar spiciness.

Before the light even hit her pupils, she realized something. She felt safe.

She felt comfortable and she didn't want to jump out of bed and shower. She had no urge to get out of bed and get a cup of coffee or get dressed. She just wanted to stay in his arms.

As it turns out, they never got a chance to go to both places. They stayed at Booth's all night, talking, making love, arguing, laughing. And the strangest thing of the whole night was that it didn't feel a bit abnormal. When he took off her clothes, she felt... loved. Not used. She wasn't an object of desire, but an object of his love. And when they made love, it was perfect. Each and every time. It was like they had made love a hundred times before and yet it felt like the first time every time. They knew one another inside out. There wasn't a single awkward moment in the whole night.

I guess that's what happens when you fall in love with your best friend. Things aren't awkward. You never feel demeaned. You feel like this. Knowing his every movement before he makes it, yet being surprised when he does it.

And when he said that he loved her, that didn't bother her like she thought it would have once upon a time. There was a time when that thought trickled through her mind. How would she react if he told her those three little words? Would she turn cold with fury or fear? Turn him down? Run away? None of that happened. She found herself repeating the words. And it wasn't accidental and it wasn't unfounded, either. She once put up walls around that word, love, fearing that if she let anybody use it against her, she might lose that thing that made her an independent and strong woman. But when he said it against the nape of her neck as he rocked slowly against her body, she realized something. She'd loved him all along. It grew from sexual attraction, to respect, to friendship, and finally, to a deep love.

Booth's eyes opened at that moment. He didn't have to open them to recognize the familiar scent and curves of the woman whose head laid against his shoulder. He smiled. Could life have handed him a better Christmas gift? The love of his best friend, a beautiful and fascinating woman? He shifted so he could look at he could look into those gorgeous crystalline blue eyes. And he kissed her tenderly.

It didn't work out that way. She laughed against his lips, "Not until you shower."

"Wanna join me?" He muttered against her neck.

"I meet you there," she smiled and stepped out of bed, not caring to wrap a blanket or robe around her naked body. Booth admired her for a fraction of a second before chasing her into the bathroom.

-----------

_One more chapter and I promise the dance!_


	30. Part XXX

XXX (That's an unfortunate chapter name.)

Parker sat between Brennan and Booth on the couch. He opened his gift quickly. Paper flew in every direction, then he froze and took in the brightly colored box. "Wow. What is it?"

Booth took the gift into his own lap and opened the box carefully, "With this puppy, you can build your own hydrogen powered car."

"I have to _build _it?" Parker groaned.

"Yeah, buddy. I love this stuff. You know how I love restoring old cars?"

"And this is like that?"

"It's a stepping stone," he smiled. "And this thing runs on water. How cool is that? And you can paint it, too."

"Really? Cool! Thanks, Dad. Can I go put it together?"

"Sure, bub." He gave Parker a squeeze before the boy went into the kitchen and started taking out all of the pieces and carefully organizing the parts before he began to construct the car.

Brennan smiled and bumped her shoulder against Booth's. "That was a good gift, Booth."

"What can I say? You've rubbed off on me."

"Well, it was... a nice mix, Booth. You've found common ground for science and your 'guy stuff'."

Booth laughed and looked over at Brennan. She looked so cute in his green army shirt and FBI sweats. He leaned over and kissed her softly.

"Eeew!" Parker squealed.

Brennan and Booth laughed against each other's lips.

"I'll go get you that hot chocolate I promised." Booth got up from the couch and went into the kitchen where he began to boil the water. Brennan followed and took a seat next to Parker. She watched him construct the model.

"What's this word?" Parker asked, pushing the directions to Brennan.

Brennan looked at it, "Installation. It means to place into position."

"Thanks, Bones. You're smart. Dad says so."

Brennan smiled to herself. "What else does your dad say?"

Booth quickly racked his brain to make sure he was safe.

"He says you're pretty and that you're _confruntashle_."

"Confrontational?"

Booth groaned inwardly.

"He says that's how grown ups show they like each other. They bicker. Like Mom and Dad. They fight sometimes."

"Because they like each other?" Brennan asked, cocking her head to the side.

"Yup."

Booth walked over and sat down, handing two mugs of hot chocolate to Brennan and Parker, with a sheepish look on his face.

"That's not logical," Brennan replied. And it wasn't. But it sure the heck was true.

"Dad, can I go play on my Wii?" Parker jumped up.

"Sure." Parker started out, "No, no, no. Leave the hot chocolate." Parker conceded, then disappeared into the living room.

As soon as he was out of sight, Booth scooted over a seat and measured Brennan's reactions for a minute. "Are you mad?"

"It doesn't make sense."

"Sure it does," Booth argued.

"You're confrontational, too, Booth."

"I am not. I'm a perfect gentleman. I let you win most of the fights."

"We don't fight."

"We debate," Booth said, leaning closer.

"I'm not going to let you kiss me after that."

"Yes, you are."

"Why would I?" Brennan asked flirtatiously as his lips moved closer.

"Because I'm so cute," he replied, kissing her neck. Immediately, all contention melted away, despite her desperate attempts to wrangle rational thoughts back.

"Hmm," she hummed. "You realize that you owe me a dance, right?"

"Horizontal or vertical?"

Brennan pulled away from his embrace and put on the CD player.

The music began to play slowly.

Booth laughed, "OH! Where did that come from? That's not mine," he shook his head innocently.

"It's mine," Brennan smiled and came up to Booth. "The Eagles."

He smiled and wrapped his arm around her while "Please Come Home For Christmas" began to crescendo. He didn't hear a single word of the lyrics, though. All he knew was that he was happy. He was spending Christmas day with the two people he loved most in the world. Nothing else mattered except for the knowledge that his son was near to him, and he was holding in his arms the woman who drove him nuts with fury and crazy with love all at once. Her hand was playing with his neck, her nails scratching softly. The other was being held by his other hand, then she released it and wrapped it around his neck, pulling her body closer to him.

"Merry Christmas, Bones," he whispered in her ear.

She responded with a kiss.

_The time of year to be with the ones you love_

_ So won't you tell me you'll never more roam  
_

_ Christmas and New Years will find you home_

_There'll be no more sorrow no grief and pain _

_Ooo, there'll be no more sorrow_

_No grief and pain_

_And I'll be happy, Christmas, once again_

_--------------_

_If you haven't heard this song, you should find it online. It's a great song!_

_Happy Holidays and Happy Early Merry Christmas! Thanks for reading! I thank you all for reading and leaving comments!_

_Keep an eye out for my next story. It's called, "Between Sleep and Awake". It's very different than these case/love fics that I usually write, but it's a very good read.  
_

_And now I'll leave you with my favorite quote from the last episode of Bones: "It's a hard car shell with a gooey corpse filling," Hodgins.  
_


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